The nominees in the "Best Hard Rock Performance" and "Best Metal Performance" categories for the 45 Annual Grammy Awards are as follows:

Best Hard Rock Performance:
FOO FIGHTERS – "All Of My Life"
GODSMACK – "I Stand Alone"
P.O.D. – "Youth Of The Nation"
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – "No One Knows"
SYSTEM OF A DOWN – "Aerials"

Best Metal Performance:
KORN – "Here To Stay"
P.O.D. – "Portrait"
SLIPKNOT – "My Plague"
STONE SOUR – "Get Inside"
ROB ZOMBIE – "Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)"
The show, to be telecast from Madison Square Garden on CBS on Feb. 23 from 8-11 p.m. (ET/PT), will mark t ...

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LACUNA COIL have officially dropped off the forthcoming North American tour with OPETH and PARADISE LOST.

The following is an official statement from the group's label, Century Media Records, regarding the cancellation:

"Italy's LACUNA COIL will regretfully be unable to participate on the upcoming '4 Absent Friends' tour with OPETH, PARADISE LOST, and TAPPING THE VEIN due to the untimely processing of their immigration paperwork, which has effected many touring bands from abroad since September 11th, 2001.

"LACUNA COIL are making every effort to return to North America as soon as possible to promote their album, 'Comalies', and are actively seeking another touring option for early spring/early summer."

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Austrian "angelic bombast metal" act EDENBRIDGE will release their new album, "Aphelion", on Jan. 27.

The CD, which was recorded at House of Audio studio in Karlsdorf, Germany with producer Dennis Ward (ANGRA, PINK CREAM 69), will be issued in three separate formats: as a limited CD with 3D-hologram-cover with bonus track "The Whispering Gallery", as a limited double-vinyl LP, also with bonus track, and as a normal CD. SILENT FORCE/ex-ROYAL HUNT singer D.C.Cooper appears as a special guest in the nine-minute epic "Red Ball In Blue Sky".

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Marduk has just returned to Sweden after doing one month of touring as support to Danzig and as a co-headliner on the annual European X-mas festivals.

The new Marduk album World Funeral is going to be released in all of Europe on February 24th, 2003. The CD-single Hearse originally scheduled for release in January has been postponed until a week before the release of the new album. The details of the US release of the album has not been settled yet.

Some mp3`s from the upcoming World Funeral album have been added to their official homepage. There is no full songs, just some tasters of what is to come.

The World Funeral 2003 Crusade will start in Europe and then followed by yet undecided parts of the world.

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Century Media will be releasing a new SAMAEL 2-CD DVD in early 2003. The as-yet-untitled DVD will feature:
- the furious show at this year´s Summer Breeze Open Air (www.summer-breeze.de)
- a show in Poland 1996 during their Passage Tour.
- the videos of "Jupiterian Vibe," “Infra Galaxia," and the black anthem "Baphomet´s Throne."
- interview and studio footage from the recording sessions for Passage.

The band will be on a European tour with Cathedral from January 28th through February 14th 2003. For more information, check out the tours section of their website

The "Era One" project, recorded in Switzerland has recently been remixed at Woodhouse studios (Germany). Release date is currently under discussion.

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Dimmu Borgir will hit studio in early March 2003 and they expect they will use about 2 months in the studio recording the new album. They have already 9 songs ready and they will write additional 2-3 songs before they start recording.

They start rehearsing the new songs in january 2003, and there will be a couple of surprises and that they will tell more about this when everything is ready.

The album will be hotter than hell with a big orchestra, surprises and the usual quality that can be expect from Dimmu Borgir.

Ok thats it from the Dimmu Borgir camp, expect more info when they start rehearsing the new stuff.

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HALFORD have been forced to postpone their scheduled three-date West Coast tour until late January after frontman Rob Halford was denied entry into the United States from London, England due to his work visa not being thoroughly processed by The United States Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS).

The following is HALFORD's official statement on the matter:

"Last evening (Friday, December 27, 2002), Rob Halford was denied entry into the United States from London, England due to his work visa not being thoroughly processed by The United States Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS).

"Further, Rob's immigration attorneys are unable to begin resolving the matter unt ...

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VIRGIN STEELE's "very special" concert at The Downtown in Farmingdale, Long Island on Saturday, Dec. 21 was recorded for an upcoming live CD/DVD, due in late 2003.

The group's set list for the three-hour (!) performance was as follows:

01. Invictus
02. Life Among The Ruins
03. Voice As Weapon
04. Conjuration Of The Watcher
05. From Chaos To Creation
06. Twilight Of The Gods
07. God Of Our Sorrows
08. Vow Of Honour/Defiance
09. Dust From The Burning
10. A Token Of My Hatred
11. Vox Intro / Crown Of Glory
12. When The Legends Die
13. Thy Kingdom Come-Intro
14. Guitar Solo / Vox Solo Burning Sword!!!
15. Great Swo ...

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Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has reportedly joined the new project formed by ex-ANTHRAX guitarist Dan Spitz and IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain.

The as-yet-unnamed group, who are said to follow an "extremely heavy" musical direction, commenced the recording sessions for their debut album six months ago and have thus far completed the drums and guitars for the effort, with Ellefson set to record the bass tracks early next year. It is presently unclear who will handle the vocal duties in the band, which is not yet believed to have secured a record deal. No further information is available at this time.

Metal Reviews Note: All three of these guys are born again Christians with Nicko only recently "seeing the light" back in the summer. It will be interesting to hear what they come up with. Nicko has recently said that he has no plans to leave Iron Maiden.

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Former METALLICA and current VOIVOD bassist Jason Newsted (a.k.a. Jasonic) has posted the following message via the Chophouse Records web site: "Howdy Friends - OK - WHEW!! We have been super busy...the whirlwind has begun. Since I last posted here in the last week of November, tons of great things have transpired. I'll bring you up-to-date. "We all met in New York City on Tuesday December 3rd to do a full-on photo shoot with Danny Clinch - it was awesome!! It was freezing cold out in Greenpoint, Brooklyn by the water, freezing for metal!! The pictures came out incredible!! (We'll be sharing a lot of these with y'all in the near future). "Wednesday December 4th was the ...

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